Improvement in sad-irons and fluting-irons combined



G. C. BURKE. SAD-IRONS AND FLUTING-IRONS COMBINED.

No. 194,644, Patented Aug. 28,1877

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' momma UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER O. BURKE, OF OUTHBERT, GEORGIA.

IIVIP ROVEMENT lN SAD-IRONS AND FLUTING-IRONSCOMBINED.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 194,644, dated August 28, 1877; application tiled May 28, 1877.

'State of Georgia, have invented a new and Improved Combined Flat-Iron and Fluter; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear. and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a'side View with the detachable face-plate removed, showing the inner plug or block.v Fig. 2 is a plan with one-half of the hollow case in section, and the removable faceplate offset from its position. Fig. 3 is a face View of the removable plate when made ribbed for fluting purposes. Fig. 4 is a detail inside View of the rear portion of the removable face-plate. I

Myinvention relates to certain improvements in flat-irons of that class which are provided with an adjustable handle, and with more than one smoothing-face, the iron being made reversible to permit either face to be used as desired.

My improvement consists in forming the iron with four smoothing-facestwo large ones and two smaller ones-and combiningitwith a handle in such a manner as to be reversible, and with a heating plug or block which has four faces corresponding to the four faces of the iron.

In the drawing, A represents the iron or hollow case formed with two large smoothingfaces, art, upon opposite sides, and with two smaller smoothing-faces, b b, for finer work,

upon opposite sides of the iron, and iii-planes at right angles to the-faces a a. One of these smaller faces, b, is made with a sharper point than the others, so as to permit it to be used in the corners of garments which are not .accessible with the more obtuse or blunt faces. The other of thesmaller faces, b is made upon a detachable plate, which permits the insertion and removal of the heated plug or block B. This detachable portion may have a plain and smooth ironing-face, or it may have a ridged or ribbed face, b Fig. 3, to adapt it for use as a fluting-iron.

Generally two such detachable faces will accompany each iron, the one for smoothing and the other for fluting. Both these faces have formed with a front plate, f, curved to correspond with the curve of the larger ironingfaces, and the front edge of the said curved plate is grooved at c to correspond to the angular edge 0, while the rear portion of the said detachable face-plate has a dovetail chamfer, d, which fits the chamfer d on the heel of the iron, and is provided also with a hole, g,

adapted to receive the end of the lockingscrew 0. Now, after the block B is inserted the groove 0 of the detachable face-plate is fitted to the angular edge 0, and the face-plate then swung radially around upon said edge as a center, until its dovetail chamfer d fits against the projecting dovetail chamfer d on the heel of the iron, in which position it is secured by turning the screw into the hole 9.

This means of fastening the detachable faceplate secures avery tight joint against the escape of hot air, and holds the I hot block in such a manner as to prevent it from ever accidentally falling out and burning the garments. It also permits the thorough cleaning of the parts, and thus prevents the accumulation of dirt in the joints.

The block B is made of any heat-retainin g material, and is constructed with four pointed faces, the lateral pointed faces of which enter corresponding recesses in the side parts of the iron, to cause the heat to be equally transmitted to the points of the smaller ironingfaces upon the sides where the heat is especially needed for fine work. Said block has also undercut recesses it formed in the same, to permit the ready insertion and manipulation of the heated block by the stove-lifter or other suitable kitchen implement.

O is the handle, made of wood or other poor conductor of heat, and arranged between the standards D l), which are pivoted at their lower ends, respectively, to the front and heel portion of the iron at its central axis to permit the same to be turned, as desired.

To ears formed upon the front standard is pivoted a lever, E, whose upper end extends nearly to a level with the handle, and whose lowerend is provided with a locking-pin, t, that enters, from the action of a spring, h, one of the four holes in the front end of the iron to lock itin any one of the four positions whichthe use of the several faces requires.

With this lever arranged, as shown, at the front end of the iron,'it is in such position as to be readily operated by the hand that carries the iron, the end of said lever being within the range of the thumb of this hand, so that by pressing upon the lever with the thumb and throwing the handle over into a horizontalposition, the operating-face of the iron may be changed without shifting hands, and without releasing the hold of the left hand upon the garment.

The iron, as thus described, is designed to be nickel-plated, to prevent loss of heat by radiation, and to secure smoothness, cleanliness, and freedom from rust. It is made in sizes to suit, but when made of about ten or twelve pounds in weight it entirely obviates the necessity of bodily pressure, which is necessary with the lighter forms of iron to givethe required gloss. With this weight of iron and with the block red hot, the operator may work constantly without a new heat from one-half to one and one-half hours, thereby saving time, labor, and fuel, while the four faces permit a much greater range of work to be accomplished with the same iron.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The hollow smoothing-iron A, having two larger faces, a a, and the two smaller faces b b, one of which is formed upon a detachable plate, in combination with an adjustable handle, and the block B, having four faces with pointed ends adapted tocorrespond and fit close to the four faces of the smoothing-iron, substantially as'described,and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the hollow smoothing-iron having the angular edge 0 and the dovetail projecting chamfer d, with set-screw 6,01" the'detaohable plate having groove 0 and a dovetail chamfer d, substantially as and for the purpose described.

CHRISTOPHER o. BURKE.

Witnesses:

F. I. RAYLAND, J OHN L. BROWN. 

